The Cochran Firm Legal Blog

In September, 2009, McNeil Consumer Healthcare announced a recall of infant and children’s Tylenol. McNeil Consumer Healthcare is part of the Johnson & Johnson group that manufacturers Tylenol. They had found that one of the inactive ingredients in 21 Tylenol products was possibly contaminated. Bacteria were found in the ingredients but not in any finished products. However, they issued the recall for safety’s sake.

Arthritis Pain Caplets Now Included

Now Johnson & Johnson is expanding this Tylenol recall to include Arthritis Pain Caplets that are reported to have a moldy smell, described as musty like mildew, when the bottles are opened. The caplets are in 100-count bottles that have a red “ez-open” lid to enable people with arthritic fingers to open the bottle easily.

The first of these caplets were recalled in November – five lots only. At first the smell was causing nausea and Johnson & Johnson called those reactions “non-serious” and “temporary”. However, more reports were received where people were suffering from vomiting, stomach pain and diarrhea because of this odor, as well as nausea.

A Fungicide the Cause

An in-depth investigation was then carried out and officials found that the cause of the odor was a chemical fungicide called 2,4,6-tribromoanisole. It was used to prevent fungus in the wooden shipping pallets used for the materials that were used in bottling the caplets. That is how the fungicide got inside the bottles.

This original September 2009 recall announcement by McNeil Consumer Healthcare gives the lot numbers of all the infant and child Tylenol withdrawn from the market at that time.

If you have purchased the arthritis caplets in those 100-count bottles, you are advised to stop using them immediately. The company is offering refunds and you can call them at 1-888-222-6036 between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Eastern time.

Defective drugs can be caused by events at many points along the route between initial manufacturing steps and consumer use. Investigations sometimes take a long time to pinpoint the problem and sometimes come up with an erroneous answer at first. This happened with the Heparin recall earlier this year, where the problem turned out to be a faulty ingredient used in China.

If you have been harmed by a defective product of any kind and would like to know more about your legal options, please contact our law office today for a free case review.

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